lawej لوج
Tunisian Derja · verb
“lawej” (لوج) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to look for (something, someone).
Meanings
- to look for (something, someone)
- to rummage
Usage
Lawwej is the usual verb for "to look for" in Tunisia. It takes 3la: nlawwej 3la mfeti7i, "I'm looking for my keys". People also say lawwej fi for "to rummage in" a bag or drawer. It is also used figuratively, as in tlawwej 3al mochkla, "you're looking for trouble". The conjugation follows the doubled pattern: lawwej, ylawwej, nlawwej, and the imperative is lawwej. The rarer verb va7chéch is a synonym. In arabizi, the doubled consonant is often written with a single w, hence the spelling lawej.
Example
نلوّج على مفاتيحي ما لقيتهمش
nlawwej 3la mfeti7i ma l9ithomch
“I'm looking for my keys, I haven't found them.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lawej” but also “lawwej”, “lawwaj” and “ylawej”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.